


Someone Will Remember Who We Are

by illusionofcalm



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: F/F, I never managed to finish one before the canon destroyed part of it, I'll probably add to these tags as I work on this because a lot of these are just me rambling sorry, Minor Character Death, Minor Violence, Pre-Canon, Rated T for some violence and dark themes later on, So here's a crack theory turned into a fic, This is like the fifth time I've tried to write a Pearl backstory
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-01
Updated: 2018-05-07
Packaged: 2019-04-30 13:56:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,841
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14498481
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/illusionofcalm/pseuds/illusionofcalm
Summary: A broadsword was held in her pale, quivering hands, looking much too large for a gem of her stature. Her head whirled around to stare at Rose with an icy, unforgiving gaze. An oblong pearl was embedded in her forehead.Though Rose had never met a pearl herself, she had always figured that they were demure, quiet, and obedient. Terrifying was never a word she’d expect to fit one of them so well.————————**A theory I’ve been sitting on for a long time, that Pearl was the diamonds' personal assassin. How else would a pearl become so skilled with a sword? (Read the notes for more information)**





	1. Every gesture is a proclamation, every sound is speech

**Author's Note:**

> I'm pretty sure someone else has probably come up with a more solid form of this theory than me, but the basic idea is that Pearl is an assassin who does the diamonds' dirty work. In my mind, it doesn't make sense for a servant class gem to be so skilled in combat, and this is my explanation why. And I think that she works for all of the diamonds--her mixed color palette always made me think this, and the outfit she has in the leaked keychains supports this. (I'm explaining this now just to clarify, though the characters themselves will talk about it later.) Of course, I think this theory is a bit too dark to even possibly be true, but I'm still rushing to get this done before the half-hour special potentially drops tomorrow and completely obliterates this theory :DD  
>  _UPDATE: Chapter 1 is now fully available, I apologize for the wait!_

The colonization of Earth was going smoothly as ever.

The first established Kindergarten was incredibly successful, yielding strong quartz soldiers, ready to further the expansion of the colony. For her first colony, Pink Diamond was pleased with herself. Her fellow diamonds had doubted her abilities, and only through her own persistence on the matter did they finally decide to give her a chance. “About time,” she would have commented, were it not for her unbridled joy. She was finally going to be a real diamond. 

Of course, such a position came with its fair share of challenges. There were more than enough defective gems that disrupted her progress. Some would simply make far too many mistakes and run out of strikes, while others would deliberately oppose their diamond with their absurd ideals. Either way, it was much easier to have them dealt with rather than let the problem fester.

No one would bat an eye if a ruby or a bismuth suddenly disappeared. But someone with higher standings could pose a threat to her colony’s development, and this new upriser was no different. She had called for her damage control, who promised to report to her immediately. 

Patiently—as patiently as a diamond could be, for that matter—she waited idly by. Her palanquin stood tall, perched atop the hillside and casting a foreboding shadow across the ground. 

Within it, Pink Diamond sat on her throne, chin resting on her interwoven fingers. Though she was far shorter than any of her fellow diamonds, she was no less intimidating when her mind was set on something. A pale pearl entered the palanquin tentatively; her frilly dress, bearing the colors of all of the Diamonds, bounced with each step she took. She came to a stop in front of the diamond and bowed dramatically.

“So you have arrived.” She leaned forwards, with a small, approving smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. “Hastily as ever, I see.”

“Certainly.” She replied, still bowing.

Pink Diamond drummed her nails along her chair’s armrest. “Pearl.”

She rose to attention and saluted. “Yes, my diamond?”

“I have a new target.”

The pearl stared up at her, vigilant. 

“There is a rose quartz causing turmoil in my colony with her freethinking ideas. Rose Quartz Facet-3X5G, Cut-7XK. She needs to be dealt with. It’s a matter of urgency.”

She bowed her head. “Of course. Right away, my diamond.”

“She’s working in the Alpha Kindergarten. I’ll be contacting you with coordinates once you arrive.”

“It won’t be long, my diamond.”

“I’d expect nothing less.” Her melodic laughter echoed around the chamber.

The pearl’s light footfalls padded away.

“Oh, and Pearl?”

She turned her head slowly.

“I don’t care how many gems you have to go through to get her.” Her rosy eyes were slitted. “So you have no excuse to fail me.”

“I would never allow such a thing to happen, my diamond.”

A vicious smile spread across Pink Diamond’s face. “Excellent.”

With that, the pearl exited as silently as she had appeared.

Beside the throne, Pink Diamond’s own pearl shuddered. Every time that pearl was summoned, the conversation that followed was unsettling to listen to. It was concerning to know her diamond was so vengeful, but she convinced herself that it was well-deserved. Her diamond obviously trusted her enough to allow her to be present, after all, so who was she to question her authority?

In a way, she pitied the other pearl. A life of servitude to the glorious Pink Diamond was clearly superior to being an assassin. She couldn’t imagine what that pearl had gone through to become so dangerous, so skilled in her craft. It was against everything in a pearl’s nature.

She shook her head. After all, she was much better off not thinking about it. It wasn’t her place to speak.

————————

The Kindergarten was nothing but a cruel irony in Rose’s mind. It was a lively place, full of gems going about their work. The Kindergarten’s reach would expand further each day, conquering more and more of the planet in the name of Pink Diamond. In terms of harvesting the planet, all was going well and according to plan.

But what little native life had thrived there was gone. What was once a valley of wildflowers and other plant life had withered away, leaving nothing but a suffocating haze of emptiness in its wake. It was such a haunting place. Rose tended to avoid being in it as much as she possibly could—sometimes pushing aside her duties as a quartz soldier, even. To her, the rest of the Earth was far more deserving of her time.

What a fascinating planet. Not only was there lush vegetation, but a wide variety of biological lifeforms, too. So many unique animals lived all over the Earth’s surface. But the ones that had truly captured her fascination were the humans. The native people of this planet were so unlike any other creature she had met before. They built homes, had families, and loved each other openly. Rose had come across them many times throughout her years of exploring the Earth, and they always welcomed her with open arms. She could get lost in how much time she spent with them on some occasions. It was an escape for her. If only she could save them from their inevitable demise, when the very planet they inhabited would be turned into an empty husk. It was Pink Diamond’s vision, after all.

Stars knows she tried to reason with her. Pink Diamond had summoned her herself, concerned with the ideas that Rose had began to spread through the colony. She insisted that the diamond must open her eyes and see just how much life their colonization was hurting. She knew it was foolish to express her opinions to a diamond, and had expected severe consequences. But instead, she’d laughed in her face. She’d thought it was humorous.

Supposedly, she was lucky to have made it out of the situation unscathed. It wasn’t often that Pink Diamond tolerated opposition. If she didn’t like someone, she’d have them sent away and replaced. Yet she was returned to the Kindergarten, as if the diamond didn’t care. Part of her wished she had been relocated; it made her so sad to know she’d be present for the Earth’s eventual demise.

But, no. She was back where she always had been, among her fellow quartzes. Nearly every gem on the planet knew of her public confrontation of Pink Diamond, it seemed. She had nothing against her fellow gems, of course—she didn’t blame them for the way word of her had spread to Pink Diamond. But she could tell when they were whispering about her. “The freethinker,” as she was often referred to. They’d seen her in a different light ever since that day, not understanding her attachment to the planet they were trying to harvest. To them, she must’ve seemed distant.

There were a lot of amethysts, as to be expected with a planet rich in minerals ideal for quartzes. As much as eighty percent of the Kindergarten gems shared this gem type. The smaller remainder was composed of other quartzes: jaspers, carnelians, citrines, and rose quartzes such as herself. Her kind was a bit of a rarity within the Alpha Kindergarten, with only one other rose quartz working in the same sector as her.

7XB was her name. She frequently would approach Rose with casual conversation. Maybe it was because she felt compelled to—they were the same gem type, after all. Or maybe she pitied her. Regardless, Rose tried to appreciate the gesture. She was one of the few gems that tried to understand.

Today was no different. “7XK, hello!” She waved from across the clearing, quickly excusing herself from the crowd and joining Rose beside a dormant injector.

“Hello, 7XB.” Rose offered a smile.

“You look troubled.” She murmured, frowning.

“I always have something on my mind, it seems.”

“Do you want to talk about it?”

Rose turned her eyes to the floor. “I suppose... it may do some good. But... could we go on a walk? Away from here? I could use some open space.”

“Of course,” she replied. “It’s no fun being cooped up in here all day.”

It didn’t take long for them to navigate the expansive system of tunnels and walkways before they arrived at the outside world, on the edge of a dying forest. The Kindergarten was only growing in size, after all, so it only be a matter of time until the lone ecosystem left in the area would be dead. But it was certainly putting up a fight; it towered over them from its place on the plateau. The open sky was reddening as the Earth’s star began to disappear over the horizon.

“So... what’s up?” 7XB began, lacing her fingers together behind her back. “Is this about the Earth again?”

“It always is,” Rose sighed. “I feel guilty.”

“For what?”

“I want to save the life on this planet... but I can’t.”

“It’s not your fault.” 7XB pointed out. “Besides, this planet is too mineral-rich for us to pass it up! It’s for the good of gemkind.”

“We already have _more_ than enough!” Rose argued, gesturing to the Kindergarten behind them. “We can travel to different galaxies! There’s no reason to steal this planet away when we can surely find another one. One that’s not already inhabited.”

“You seem to forget that you were born here, 7XK.” Her tone came off as curt. “You wouldn’t exist if we hadn’t colonized this planet.”

“I... I know that.” Her hands clenched into fists, staring at the ground to funnel her guilt somewhere. “It’s not worth it. I’m not worth it.”

“Don’t say that.”

“The Earth deserves better.”

“It’s just a planet, 7XK.” She reaches out to rest a hand on her shoulder. “I’m confident that there’s another one out there just like this one.”

“But it shouldn’t have to die for our sake.”

“It’s-“

A sickening crack rang out in her ears. The quartz once standing beside her disappeared into a cloud of smoke, with the rosy, brittle shards of her gemstone clattering to the floor. 

Shattered.

She let out a horrified shriek, hardly able to comprehend what had just unfolded before her eyes. Within a half of a second, the other quartz had been reduced to a pile of broken pieces.

The assailant was only a few steps ahead, kneeling. She had lunged straight through the unsuspecting gem, lashing out with a fatal blow. A broadsword was held in her pale, quivering hands, looking much too large for a gem of her stature. Her head whirled around to stare at Rose with an icy, unforgiving gaze. An oblong pearl was embedded in her forehead.

Though Rose had never met a pearl herself, she had always figured that they were demure, quiet, and obedient. Terrifying was never a word she’d expect to fit one of them so well. Either she had revolted, and was trying to make a statement with mindless assassinations, or someone had sent her...

The pearl leapt to her feet and charged at her, blade lifted above her head and ready to strike. Rose managed to summon her shield as the sword crashed down, splintering apart at the hilt from the force of the impact. The pearl’s eyes widened in surprise. She stumbled backwards, tossing the broken remains of the sword away with a scowl on her face.

“Why are you doing this?!” Rose cried, raising her shield as threateningly as she could manage—she was still trembling. 

The pearl drew two new blades out of her gemstone. They were thin and nimble; perfect for the wielder herself. “So you must be the one,” She murmured, unblinking. Her gaze lingered on the pile of shards. “I guessed wrong.”

“Don’t come near me!”

She held her shield closer to her, thanking her lucky stars for the location of her gemstone. It was easy for her to guard her midsection, especially with a nearly unbreakable shield. All she had to do was keep facing her attacker and hope that she didn’t have a weapon stronger than her own.

The pearl slowly circled her, step by step. “You’re a defensive fighter,” She mused to herself, crossing her blades.

“This isn’t a matter of fairness,” Rose retorted, her eyes daring to glance to where 7XB once stood. “An attack like that has no honor.”

“I’m not fighting for honor.”

“Then what do you want?!”

She didn’t bother to answer. Instead, she bolted forwards. Screeching in frustration, she slashed furiously at the quartz, attempting to maneuver one of the swords around the shield and inflict damage of some kind. She managed to nick her left arm before a bubble enveloped Rose, flinging the other gem away. 

“You can’t be serious,” the pearl muttered to herself, pushing off of the ground and standing back up. Her eyes glittered impatiently. It was reasonable to assume that she was used to facing opponents that would actually try to fight her back.

Rose slowly dispersed the bubble shield, thumbing at the small injury she had sustained. “Why are you doing this?” She asked again, her voice weary.

“I can’t answer that.”

“This is meaningless! What is shattering me supposed to accomplish?!”

“I’m doing what has to be done!” The pearl charged at her again, swinging her blades straight down onto her shield. Was she trying to brute-force her way through? 

Rose staggered backwards, and the pearl’s swords slipped off the surface of the shield forcefully, piercing into the dirt. Rose took the chance she was given and rammed into her, throwing the smaller gem backwards and knocking her away from her weapons.

The quartz scrambled to take one for herself before stumbling in the direction of the Kindergarten. If she could get close enough, then maybe someone would see her and come to help her.

Still reeling, the pearl rose to her feet unsteadily, shaking her head. She immediately drew a new blade out of her gemstone to replace the one that had been stolen from her. Rose didn’t want to know how many she had in her possession.

“Please, stop this!” Rose begged, remaining in a battle ready stance.

“I can’t.”

The quartz continued to back away slowly. “What do you mean..?”

An arrow suddenly whistled by Rose’s ear, headed straight for her opponent’s gemstone. Had she not audibly gasped, the pearl may not have noticed it. She barely managed to dodge a direct hit, but the arrow still caught the edge. The familiar cracking sound assaulted Rose’s ears once more as the pearl crumpled to the ground, shrieking.

“Back off!” A carnelian hissed through bared teeth, aiming another shot directly at the pearl’s forehead. “Try anything, and I’ll shatter you!”

The pearl struggled to sit upright, clutching a hand over her damaged gemstone. She narrowed her eyes, glancing between Rose and her savior several times. Rose was surprised to see her own fear reflected through those pale blue eyes of hers.

A couple of other gems heard the commotion and were gathering behind the carnelian. The pearl, who only looked more afraid by the second, staggered to her feet, twin blades in hand.

“Don’t move!” Carnelian demanded, drawing her bow tighter.

She blinked a few times, sparing a glance at Rose. The quartz was unable to read it; was it hatred, terror, pity, regret?

Then she jumped into the air. She landed gingerly on an outcropping above them before bolting away, with another arrow flying past her head.

“You’re not getting away!” Carnelian leaped up after her, followed by a couple of other quartzes. They disappeared into the trees.

Instantly, Rose was swarmed by the remaining crowd that had gathered. Question after question bombarded her. “Are you okay?” “Was that a pearl?” “What happened to 7XB?!”

She couldn’t answer any of them; her mind was too busy racing. The sword in her hand had fallen to the ground at some point, but she hadn’t registered when.

She felt hollow.

Perhaps this was what the Earth felt, too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like my characterization for PD might be off, but considering we've never personally met her in the show, I just did what I had to with her character to get the plot moving.


	2. WELL THEN (DON'T READ THIS CHAPTER IF YOU HAVEN'T WATCHED THE SPECIAL)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> PLEASE WATCH THE SPECIAL FIRST, THERE WILL BE SPOILERS IN THIS CHAPTER

SO THAT HAPPENED.

Well this theory is dead. I mean, I kind of expected that to happen one way or another with A Single Pale Rose. But holy hell I was not expecting THAT. I don't even know how I feel about Rose/Pink Diamond anymore. Since Rose Quartz NEVER EXISTED, this fic is obsolete. I kind of wish I had worked on it faster, I funneled almost 5k words into the next few chapters :'D If y'all want to see any of the other stuff I wrote for this, I can try to finish it up and post it. Most of it is just Rose and Pearl interactions.

But seriously, holy hell. I'm as impressed as I am confused, and I'm really looking forward to what they do with this reveal. 

(If you want to chat about this--or anything, for that matter--hit me up on my tumblr, spookiew)

**Author's Note:**

> I feel like my characterization for PD might be off, but considering we've never personally met her in the show, I just did what I had to with her character to get the plot moving.


End file.
